


Sugar And Spice

by Shimegami



Series: Side By Side [2]
Category: Free!
Genre: Chocolate, Full schmoop til morning, M/M, Tumblr: makoharufestival, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-15
Updated: 2014-02-15
Packaged: 2018-01-12 10:41:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1185291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shimegami/pseuds/Shimegami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Holidays mean little to Haruka unless he has reason to celebrate them.  Valentine's Day used to be just another day, only slightly more annoying than normal due to an abundance of pink and red and girls forcing chocolate on Makoto, but nothing that Haru needed to observe or remember.</p><p>Until this year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sugar And Spice

**Author's Note:**

> Entry for the MakoHaru festival on tumblr - Valentine's Day prompt this time around.
> 
> Dumb and full of schmoop, sorry.

Before this year, Valentine's Day had been just another one of the many holidays that Haru either glanced over or ignored, their contents blurring into normal days. 

There were some holidays he paid attention to. New Year's was heralded by endless nagging from his parents to come see them, no matter how much he wanted to stay in Iwatobi with Makoto's family instead, so it was hard to forget – never mind having to memorize a new year date. He celebrated Setsubun like his grandmother taught him, and the shrine up the stairs from his house was always busy on that particular holiday. Golden Week usually fell when the sea was starting to warm up enough to swim, so he paid attention when it neared on the calendar. Obon was the one holiday Haru was probably most faithful to ever since his grandmother passed, as celebrating her memory was important – because of this he also made sure to visit her grave during the autumn equinox, as tradition stated. He also marked down Ocean Day, since it was water-related and thus worthy of celebration in Haru's opinion. 

Every other holiday, though, Haru either ignored completely – Labor Thanksgiving Day means literally nothing to Haru, and what does he care for the emperor's birthday? – or viewed as a day when the outside world got a little more annoying. Culture Day was a particular annoyance of Haru's, as his life was disrupted by a bunch of classmates demanding that he participate in activities he had absolutely no interest in nor desire to develop that interest. 

Valentine's Day had been the latter – Haru was completely unaware of it until the day actually hit, and he was forced to watch Makoto get swamped by a bunch of giggly perfumed girls and their chocolates. Having to watch Makoto repeatedly get confessed to – often from girls that hadn't even talked to him _once_ , how could they love him if they hadn't even said “hello”? – and watching Makoto break his own heart by having to turn them down always sent Haru's mood plummeting straight down. He couldn't even swim to elevate his mood – not even Haru was dumb enough to attempt swimming outside in February, so he was relegated to soaking away the bad feelings in his bath, which was never enough. 

Haru didn't even like chocolate, either, so the rare chocolates left on his own desk or in his shoe locker inevitably ended up in the trash. 

No, Haru doesn't like Valentine's Day much and he is perfectly content to forget it for the majority of the year. 

However, when he goes grocery shopping for the week on Sunday, exactly five days before, he is forcibly reminded of the holiday when he walks into the market and an overwhelming display of pink and red meets his eyes at the front of the store. The smell of chocolate slams into him like a physical punch, and Haru is severely tempted to just turn around and walk out of the store, groceries be damned. 

But no, the only things left in his fridge are half a cabbage and some mysterious moldy thing in the far back that Haru keeps meaning to clean out but always forgets about. He really needs groceries, so despite the nauseatingly sweet smell, Haru squares his shoulders and continues into the store. 

Away from the chocolate display it's not so bad, and Haru collects all the essentials – mackerel of course, and milk, eggs, bread, all the things Makoto's mother inquires about him having in his kitchen – and Valentine's almost slips his mind again, until he's scouring the vegetables. 

The display is next to the produce section, so it's a vibrantly-colored eyesore always in the corner of his vision as he debates over the radishes on display. There's a few teenage girls flocked around the display, talking excitedly to each other like a flock of tropical birds. As he moves along the produce aisles, it draws him closer to the girls, until their conversation filters into words he can hear. 

“...so cute! Ah, but this one is good too!” 

“Do you think I should try making my own for Tanaka-kun?” 

“Ooo, Mayumi-chan, you're that serious? Go for it! Tanaka-kun isn't that big a fan of sweets, right, so maybe try a recipe with less sugar? You'll convey your feelings and give him something more to his tastes in one go!” 

“Hahaha, I wish I had a new crush like that! I've been dating my boyfriend for so long, that sort of thing has worn off by now. He's getting store-bought and he'd better be happy with it!” 

“He'll dump you if you keep that kind of attitude up, Hanako-chan!” 

“Hmph, fine. If he does, then I'll just look for a new love and get to be excited about Valentine's Day next year!” 

“You're always so bold! But well, that's true, giving chocolate for the first time to a guy is a special feeling. I want to feel it again!” 

The laughter and high-pitched squeals float away as the girls head to check out, colorful boxes in hand. Haru is left staring at tomatoes, unwanted words floating in his head. Normally he'd forget the girls' conversation as soon as he heard it, but it's somehow sticking with him. 

Valentine's Day is a day for men to receive chocolate. 

Makoto likes chocolate. 

Haru feels heat spread in his cheeks and tries to will it down. He's ignored Valentine's for so many years, but now he realizes that this will be the first Valentine's where he and Makoto are together in that way. Well, they haven't actually put it in words, or announced anything, but ever since that walk home last year, in September, there's been a new layer of feelings between them. There's been no love confessions, but they walk home hand-in-hand almost every day now. Some weekends are dedicated to going out, just the two on them, on things that are obviously dates even if they don't name them. Sometimes Makoto kisses Haru, or Haru kisses him, soft warm things that both make Haru feel as if it's the most natural thing in the world, as if he's floating in the warmest ocean, and at the same time feel as if his skin is too tight and hot and his heart is going to thunder out of his chest, and the only thing that keeps him from running away in embarrassment is feeling Makoto's heart do the same when they're pressed chest to chest. Christmas, the other lover's holiday, was spent in a town an hour away, famous for its seaside Christmas lights display, with a scarf wrapped around Makoto's neck that Haru had spent the past month learning how to knit for, and a delicate silver chain with a little dolphin hanging off it hidden under Haru's shirt and coat, its little sapphire eyes twinkling whenever it sees the light of day. Christmas is a holiday that Haru has suddenly become aware of, now that he has experienced its true form and has a reason to celebrate it. 

Haru knows that, for all intents and purposes, they're boyfriends now, even if there was never a clear-cut declaration of “Go out with me!” shoved with a love letter, just an awkward demand and then hands melting together into a newer, more intimate embrace that they'd been building towards forever. It may not be something for Makoto's mother's TV dramas, but Haru is perfectly happy with how everything unfolded. 

However, standing next to a garish, overly-sweet sales display with the echos of girl chatter in his mind, Haru is being made aware of Valentine's Day. The same ideas knock into each other inside his head, slowly forming a larger one. 

Guys get chocolate. Valentine's Day is for lovers. Makoto likes chocolate. Haru and Makoto are technically lovers. 

He's standing in front of the chocolate display before he's really aware of it. His face goes hot and his ears are probably the same color as the display, and he's tempted to just leave. This is a stupid idea. 

But he stays rooted to the spot, the girl's words from before echoing in his brain. ' _Giving chocolate for the first time to a guy is a special feeling_.' And, if Haru is honest with himself, he wants to see if it is. He's missed out on a lot of feelings, having shut himself off for so long. He wants to experience everything he's missed so far with Makoto. And one of those experiences is home-made chocolates for the one you love. 

With those feelings in mind, Haru reaches for the cocoa powder. 

* * *

 

If he'd known that his hasty decision in the grocery store would be this stressful, Haru would have just settled for store-bought instead. 

But no, here he is on Friday morning, staring down at a pile of ingredients that just gets more daunting the more he looks at it. The plan had been to skip school – after a rare text to Makoto telling him to go on ahead so he wouldn't burst into Haru's house to pick him up and thus ruin the surprise – and make the chocolates, then wait for school to be over as Makoto would surely head straight to Haru's to check on him since he didn't show. Then Haru could give him the chocolates and they could spend the evening together. 

It had been a flawless plan, right up until Haru had tied his apron on and looked at the pile of ingredients on his counter and realized he had absolutely no clue what to make. 

He's got chocolate recipes, so he technically knows how, but what, exactly, eludes him. What shape should he go for? Dark, milk, or white chocolate? Should he decorate it? And what flavor? What will be special to Makoto? 

That's the problem. Makoto _loves_ chocolate. It's one of his favorite foods, and Haru knows he's eaten at least one of every type of chocolate in the town candy shop. He's eaten enough that he can usually tell different brands apart if fed them blindfolded – as proved by Nagisa and his pranks a while back. He eats at least one bar a week. 

How, in all of that, can Haru make _his_ chocolate special? As much as people say that it's the feelings that matter, Haru still wants the taste to be exceptional too. He wants to make his chocolates memorable, not just some hearts with pink and white sugar laced on top like the store-bought ones. Mackerel-shaped? No, that's Haru himself, not Makoto... 

Haru scowls down at the box of cocoa powder, blaming it for his troubles. He should just forget this whole chocolate mess, and make something he knows instead. He's made chocolate cake for Makoto's birthday, he can do that. He's still got the molds for those little orca and dolphin decorations, even. He can use those again. Or maybe green curry? He'd been planning to make it for dinner if Makoto stayed anyways, and surely a homemade meal of Makoto's favorite dish would mean more than generic chocolate hearts... 

An idea leaps out of those thoughts, causing Haru to blink. He looks at the chocolate ingredients, then towards his pantry where the curry ingredients reside. It's a weird idea, but mackerel and pineapple had been a weird idea until he'd tried it, so maybe... 

Haru picks up his phone and starts looking up recipes. 

It is a little weird, and without Makoto to guide him trying to navigate his phone's web browser almost makes Haru give up several times, but he finds what he's looking for. Apparently it's not as far-fetched as he thought, as others have had the same idea and there are recipes waiting. 

So, after several hours of wrestling with his phone, wrestling with the recipes, and then wrestling with the dolphin and orca molds, Haru stares down at the cooling chocolates in the molds with a sense of pride. What he tried of the chocolate seems okay – Haru doesn't like chocolates nor spice, but they taste appropriately like what he was going for, so he assumes it worked. 

With a satisfied sigh, Haru wipes his cheek and checks the time. It's about noon now, so he has plenty of time to clean up and relax with a long soak in the bath before Makoto comes home. With a nod, he carefully moves the chocolate molds to a different area of the counter and starts cleaning. 

He can only wait and hope now.  

* * *

 

Makoto comes over straight after school just as expected. Haru feels a little bad as Makoto is obviously worried when he first comes into the house and Haru hadn't meant for him to fret all day over Haru's health, but a little glance to the kitchen drawer where an innocent package lies wrapped in orange and green – better Makoto's favorite colors than generic, boorish red and white and pink, after all – and he feels justified. Surely Makoto will like it, right? 

Makoto lectures him for a full five minutes about not skipping school, which is nothing new, and Haru only half-listens. When Makoto pauses with a sigh as he usually does when he notices Haru isn't listening, Haru decides to initiate his plan. Reaching out, he links his fingers into Makoto's feeling his cheeks start to go red as he peeks up at the taller boy through his eyelashes, murmuring a low “stay for the night” with more confidence than he feels. 

The way Makoto goes redder than the chocolate packaging at the store makes the corners of Haru's mouth curl up on their own. 

They pass the time until dinner as usual. Makoto had brought all of Haru's schoolwork for him, and they do the homework together like always, legs curled up under the kotatsu. It takes a bit longer than normal, though, as distracted as Haru is from the warm length of Makoto's thigh pressed against his own, and the interesting blush Makoto makes when he uses his leg to playfully nudge Makoto's. By the time they get done, dark is falling across the sky and it's time to get started on dinner. 

Since he made the paste earlier, it only take about fifteen minutes to cook mackerel green curry. The way Makoto's face lights up when he brings it into the living room to eat definitely makes the runny nose and eyes he got from grinding up the spices earlier worth it. 

He uses the cover of moving the food into the living room to grab the unassuming orange box from its drawer and hide it behind him as they sit down for dinner. 

Dinner is tasty, if a little more spice than Haru normally stands for – it is surprising to a lot of people, but Makoto adores spicy food and happily eats things that burn Haru's lips just looking at them – but since this dinner is for Makoto's sake he puts up with the slight burn. 

Finally, after Makoto finishes a third plate and Haru's own is scraped clean, Makoto leaning back on his hands with his face tilted up and eyes closed in contented food-stuffed bliss, Haru decides that it's time. 

It's a lot more nerve-wracking than he'd thought it would be as he pulls the little box out from behind him and holds it in his hands. He lips his lips once, twice – it's a mistake that makes them burn a little more thanks to dinner – fingers crumpling the paper a bit as he gathers his courage. 

It's just a stupid box of chocolates, he didn't think it would be this hard to hand over. He has a bit more respect for all those girls now, thinking of the courage it had to take to do this to someone you barely knew, let alone a close friend. Except they still gave chocolates to Makoto so not really. 

He breathes, closes his eyes for a moment to compose himself, before straightening his back. He's worked all day for this, he can't chicken out now. 

“Makoto.” 

“Hmmn?” Green eyes flutter open, and the sweet smile he gets deepens the red on Haru's cheeks. 

He find he can't look at that smile directly, instead his gaze falls to the corner of the table as he unceremoniously thrusts out the box towards Makoto. 

“Eh? What's this?” Makoto's confused question just makes Haru's embarrassment worse. Stupid. It's a present on Valentine's Day, what else would it be? But then Makoto was always like that – so focused on others that really obvious things could elude him. 

He shoves the box closer to Makoto, still unable to look up. “Just take it.” 

There's a pause in which Haru's pulse in his ears feels entirely too loud, until large fingers gently wrap around the box and lift it out of Haru's hand. “I...t-thank you, Haru. Can...can I open it?” 

Hand relieved of its burden, it joins the other under the covering of the kotatsu to fist in Haru's pants as Haru pretends to be very interested in a stray thread of the blanket. “Do what you want.” 

Makoto's laugh is soft, laced with that understanding “just like Haru” tone, and paper starts crinkling and ripping as Makoto opens the present. “Even if you say so, it's rude to open a present in front of the giver without ask...ing...” 

He knows Makoto's opened it when he trails off. Haru can't read the silence that follows, so he sucks in a breath and peeks at Makoto out of the corner of his eye. 

Makoto's staring wide-eyed at the box, mouth still open in surprise. Haru's eyes flicker down to where Makoto had set the box down as he unwrapped it, knowing what Makoto was seeing inside. 

It's a chocolate mold of the same orca and dolphin Haru had used for his birthday cake, arranged with their snouts touching, and inlaid into a larger chocolate heart. The orca is made out of dark and white chocolate, mimicking its markings – Haru had spent fifteen minutes trying to get that right – while the dolphin is milk chocolate and covered with blue sugar. The heart is simple brown, but Haru had pressed a wave pattern gently into its surface, so that it looks like the dolphin and orca are in a chocolate sea. 

The whole piece is sitting nestled in dark blue tissue paper, and looking at it Haru feels kind of silly. It's just so...sappy. To be honest it feels like something Rin would do if he ever admitted to himself that he had a sappy romance streak a mile wide. And, really, it's just not like Haru at all. It makes him feel embarrassed that he worried so much over stupid-looking chocolates. 

He looks back up at Makoto, planning to blow it off and say he made it on a whim and that Makoto didn't have to give it the time of day, but the look on Makoto's face stops him. It's been a long time since he's seen Makoto look so... _open_. At least, not for a long time. Green glistens as if tears are building, contrasting with how bright his cheeks are getting, and a hand comes up to hide his mouth. “H-Haru...this is, really...” 

Haru looks away again, but less out of feeling stupid and more because his chest feels too tight from how huge his heart feels. “...Taste it before you start crying over it. It might not even be any good.” 

“What? No! Haru's a great cook, I'm sure it tastes wonderful! I...I don't know if I can, though, it's so...” 

Haru looks back at that one, brow furrowing as he gives Makoto a flat glare. Hell no, he'd spent three hours slaving over that thing, it was going to be eaten _or else_. “Eat it.” 

Makoto blinks, surprised, before laughing a little and rubbing at an eye. “Okay, okay, in a second, I...I want a picture.” 

He pulls out his phone and Haru huffs. It's no big deal, why does there need to be a picture? Still, it's Makoto's now, so it doesn't really matter. “Hurry up and taste it afterwards.” 

He needs to know if he got it right. He needs to know if Makoto will always remember this, and Makoto's face when he takes the first bite will tell him. 

Makoto quickly snaps a photo, smiling at his phone with such a stupid, love-filled gaze that Haru feels almost jealous – only the knowledge that it was his handiwork that put it there nullifies it. Then, after putting his phone down, Makoto dithers so long over what part to eat that Haru almost picks it up and just shoves it into his mouth. He finally breaks off the point at the bottom of the heart, looking up and smiling softly at Haru, before popping the piece into his mouth. 

Haru can tell the instant the taste hits when brown eyebrows arch up towards his hairline and green eyes go wide. Makoto pauses for a moment, before resuming chewing the morsel, and Haru waits, fingers digging into his thighs as he hopes that his face isn't showing his nervousness. 

Is it good? Is it _memorable_? 

The few seconds it takes for Makoto to chew and swallow each seem to be miniature universes. Haru holds his breath when Makoto finally finishes, looking at Haru with wide eyes. 

“Haru...what's in this?” 

How Makoto thought it tasted isn't obvious yet, and Haru can't stand to look anymore. It's horrible, probably. He looks down at his empty plate and thinks that maybe he ate too much, since his stomach is turning over and over. He was so focused on making something unique and memorable that it probably tastes so bad that Makoto will never forget it, in a bad way. “Chocolate....and...curry. And coconut. It's weird. Sorry.” 

“What? No!” Makoto's denial makes Haru look up a little, watching him through his eyelashes. It's...not bad? “I was just...really surprised.” Isn't that what you say when you don't want to offend someone on the taste? “It's good!” Haru looks up a little more at that. 

It's good? 

His question must have shown on his face, because Makoto's smile is reassuring as he breaks off another piece. “Really, Haru, it's good! I just wasn't expecting curry taste in chocolate, but it worked really well together. Where did you come up with the idea? I would have never thought of it!” 

Makoto puts the second piece in his mouth, and now Haru can see the enjoyment. The way those green eyes flutter closed, mouth curling up into a smile. Haru feels the tension leave his body as he watches Makoto obviously relish the bite, relaxing parts deep inside him that felt like they'd been coiled since Sunday. Maybe even before, ever since girls started coming to Makoto in droves on this certain day. 

Makoto likes _Haru's_ chocolate. 

Still, he has to make sure of one last thing. “So you've never had this before?” 

Makoto swallows his bite, breaking off a new one with a smile. “Hmmn? No, can't say I have. It's really interesting. I really like it, it's like both of my favorite foods in one.” 

Suddenly Makoto laughs softly, giving Haru a smile that makes his stomach turn but in an entirely different way. “Haru really knows me best to think to put my two favorite foods into one thing. I've never gotten chocolate like this before...really, thank you Haru. It's delicious. This is really...the best Valentine's gift I've ever gotten.” 

A deep, curling satisfaction unfolds in Haru, at knowing that he has succeeded, causing a smile to force its way onto his face. It worked. He created something delicious. Something better than the bland faceless chocolates the girls keep giving and Makoto keeps having to turn away. Haru's is special and he's made their first Valentine's as a couple memorable. He's happy. 

Cloth rustles, and Haru looks over to find that Makoto has leaned around the corner of the table, his face far closer to Haru's than before and he's got a sweet, slightly mischievous smile on his face. “You seem pleased with yourself. Did everything go according to plan?” 

Haru flushes, deliberately looking away. Stupid perceptive Makoto. “I don't know what you're talking about.” 

A soft laugh, close enough to stir the black strands of Haru's hair and caress the edge of his bright red ears, and suddenly warm fingers are on his cheek, coaxing Haru to look back at Makoto. He almost fights, but the soft, adoring look in Makoto's eyes, directed at Haru only, catches him far more effectively than any fingers can and he can't look away even if he wanted to. It's looks like those, that feel like those green eyes are pulling him into an ocean, like an ocean is bubbling up inside Haru himself, that make Haru fall a little more in love with his best friend each day. 

Makoto leans forward, slow enough for Haru to pull back if he wants, but Haru stays where he is as Makoto closes in and seals their lisp together in a kiss. He tastes like curry and chocolate and just a hint of coconut, and Makoto's is right, it's not that bad. Pretty good, even. Sweet and spicy and just their taste. 

“Happy Valentine's Day, Haru...I'll always remember it,” Makoto whispers against Haru's mouth, and Haru knows that he won't be forgetting this Valentine's anytime soon, either. The girls were right – giving chocolate for the first time is a good feeling. 

Maybe he can afford to pay a little more attention to this holiday from now on.

**Author's Note:**

> For the record, curry and chocolate is totally a thing, especially in gourmet or savory circles - even Black Butler featured this lol. Chocolate, as a "warm"-flavored thing, goes well with warm spices like curry. In South America, the origin of both chocolate and the chili peppers needed for curry, mixing chocolate and chili peppers in a porridge was often done by the Aztecs. Haru, being unafraid to mix mackerel and pineapple, would be similarly inspired to mix Makoto's two favorite foods and make him curry chocolate for Valentine's.
> 
> If you liked, please like and reblog the entry at makoharufestival.tumblr.com when it goes up!
> 
> Also follow me at clover-magic.tumblr.com for WIP updates and dumbassery and fandom shrieking.


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